Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for June 05, 2014
Transcript:
Pig: So do you think the kind of stuff we talk about will change now that we have a real artist? Rat: No, we'll always be a talking head strip. Pig: ...that sometime has Martian robot attacks? Pastis: Stop showing off. Libby: I could do better if I had more space. Pearls is now drawn by a second-grader
Trilobyte Premium Member over 10 years ago
Pearls Before Hobbes…
Trilobyte Premium Member over 10 years ago
…or maybe Swine Before Hobbes.
Templo S.U.D. over 10 years ago
Nice underbite, Libby’s version of Pig.
knight1192a over 10 years ago
You mean do far worse. Libby’s Rat has a certain cuddliness to him while her Pig some how comes across as potentially more mean spirited thanks to those teeth. Completely the opposite of the two.
KZ71 over 10 years ago
Someone’s gonna hurt me for this, but I hope Pearls keeps that artwork going! That’s awesome!
dadoctah over 10 years ago
And all it would take to undo this progress would be a return visit from the Family Circus kids….
samuli creator over 10 years ago
Hi Bill!
oldschool434 over 10 years ago
does this mean that Pastis has to attend second grade to cover for her while she does his work? If so…..Libby better be prepared to repeat second grade….
Kali39 over 10 years ago
What do you mean “is now drawn”? Cartoon Boy’s reliving his childhood, isn’t he?
Sisyphos over 10 years ago
Hey, that Libby is some artist!I mean, “Libby” is a nom de plume for a well-known cartoonist, right? And the preponderance of guesses favors Bill Watterson….When do we get the Big Reveal, Cartoon-Boy?
dputhoff over 10 years ago
Libby should draw THE FAMILY CIRCUS the next time Bil takes a vacation!
Commentator over 10 years ago
Wow, who knew Pastis had it in him?
rshive over 10 years ago
Libby can draw real live legs, too.
starkeyt62 over 10 years ago
Paying homage to Watterson! Nice!
The Winy Child over 10 years ago
i did not know pearls was secretly calvin and hobbes!
theorgandude over 10 years ago
It has to be Bill Watterson’s work: look how Rat is jumping back in fear. Looks exactly like how Hobbes jumped back in many a strip of “Calvin and Hobbes”. What’s next? Crazy homicidal snow men in Rat’s Beerland????
Carl Rennhack Premium Member over 10 years ago
When it comes to Martian invasions I’ll stay with Orson Welles and Gene Barry!
GoodQuestion Premium Member over 10 years ago
Stephan, don’t let her get your goat . . . ☻
Cameron1988 Premium Member over 10 years ago
get rid of the kid
puddlesplatt over 10 years ago
she even made Pastis, look almost human… golly
Commycon over 10 years ago
Libby is Billy spelled sideways. Sort of.
David D Smith Premium Member over 10 years ago
The explosion beneath pig is kind of in a bad place. Makes it look like he had a bean burrito and was standing near an open flame!
Thrush over 10 years ago
It’s about time this comic strip got a real cartoonist!
;)
MeGoNow Premium Member over 10 years ago
Heck. I figured it was always draw by a second grader who needed an adult to front for her, because she couldn’t sign the syndicate contract.
kirkhaverkamp over 10 years ago
Has to be Bill Watterson. Pastis collaborates with other cartoonists all the time. Not only that, but Watterson recently did his first cartoon in two decades as the poster for the comics documentary Stripped, on which he also consented to be interviewed, so that would have created an impetus for Pastis to contact him and set this up.
singlefemalelaywer over 10 years ago
She just has to wait until Sunday, three more panels then.
Stocky One over 10 years ago
I want Stephen back.
155088 over 10 years ago
Dump the second-grader!
alvinh over 10 years ago
I do not like the new drawing
darlabass over 10 years ago
Charlie Schulz always said Charlie Brown was the hardest character to draw because of his round head. Cartoon-boy actually draws a lot of circles really well, so don’t think he can’t draw.
Defective Premium Member over 10 years ago
Waterson also made that same comment Libby does in the last panel. He was forced into telling stories using boxes that didn’t work for what he was trying to do. They finally gave him free reign, but it took a while. I still miss his strips, which is why I still read his books.
Kali39 over 10 years ago
I just don’t think it’s Watterson. It’s not his style (that Mars scene would be even more detailed if it was). Still, it would be cool it it was.
jpmihalk over 10 years ago
Even the lettering has Watterson characteristics…
kirkhaverkamp over 10 years ago
Pastis said on his FB page to get ready for a really big surprise this week – I can’t imagine anything much bigger than a Watterson guest spot.
deangup over 10 years ago
That second grader sure can draw.
CYGNUS X1 over 10 years ago
I called this yesterday before anyone!
Amanda El-Dweek creator over 10 years ago
Not only does the drawing look like Watterson’s (and the subject matter), but the handwriting in the word balloons is a dead give-away.
phlash over 10 years ago
Silly girl…Everyone knows that Martian War Machines have three legs.
Vet Premium Member over 10 years ago
OMG….Pig actually said something intelligent.Its all down hill from here……Stephan will save the day.(pleeeeaaaasseee!!!!!!)
Enoki over 10 years ago
If this is PBS drawn by a second grader does that make Stephan’s work something drawn by a pre-schooler?
ottod Premium Member over 10 years ago
My vote is new pig, old rat, and whichever Democrats are running for the Senate in Iowa and Mississippi.
Sherlock Watson over 10 years ago
Libby is forgetting that comics are more about the story and/or jokes than the art. Van Gogh was a great artist, but could he have been a good cartoonist?
ecbaldwin Premium Member over 10 years ago
I think Libby is Orphan Annie. She’s showing up in other strips, too. She’s been in the background at Gasoline Alley for about a week. And Dick Tracy is being asked to find her.
dontstarveman over 10 years ago
awesome
Alex Hallatt creator over 10 years ago
This is getting better and better…
Kind&Kinder over 10 years ago
I don’t think Watterson ever used exclamation points over characters’ heads. He made us see it on their faces. Jeez, I miss Calvin and Hobbes—but I really also love PBS.
blackdawne over 10 years ago
The art work may have improved but not the humor.
ZBicyclist Premium Member over 10 years ago
I especially like the last panel’s reference to “more space”, which Watterson was able to get on Sundays. Those Spaceman Spiff landscapes were wonderfully indulgent!
CyberSpaceDrifter over 10 years ago
I think if you look back to yesterday, I called C&H first but some people said no, it looks more like Pogo … not that I am gloating or anything …
claire de la lune. over 10 years ago
Actually, I read the Sunday comics in a newspaper the other day, and Pearls Before Swine was one of the more neater ones. The lines are much cleaner than others. The artwork is simple, but it works. So this artist is near-perfect.
claire de la lune. over 10 years ago
By the way, I like Rat’s line.“No. We’ll always be a talking head strip.”And is this drawn by Bill Watterson?
Constantinepaleologos over 10 years ago
Strangely enough, I imagine their voices differently now. I wonder who the guest artist is.
Ermine Notyours over 10 years ago
Okay, so the joke is that Patsis is getting outclassed by a second grader, one who draws as good as Bill Watterson, but who isn’t (within the context of the strip itself) Bill Watterson.Also, last week I saw “Dear Mr. Watterson” on Netflix, which features a long statement by Patsis analyzing why Watterson never authorized any extensions of the strip such as merchandising or screen adaptations. On a live interview he comes off as much more sophisticated than he does in his own strip. (Yes, I know. That’s the joke.)
Darryl Heine over 10 years ago
ALIENS!
minespatch over 10 years ago
Thank god, for a second there I thought I was hallucinating with my cold.
arlandolpho over 10 years ago
It actually is Bill Watterson. Check out Pastis blog.
odog over 10 years ago
It is really cool to know Watterson actually helped draw this strip. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/06/06/exclusive-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-returns-to-the-comics-page-to-offer-a-few-pearls-gems/ for furthers details as to how and why.
luciasar00 over 10 years ago
OH MY GOD IT’S ACTUALLY WATTERSONhttp://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/ever-wished-that-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-would-return-to-the-comics-page-well-he-just-did/
luciasar00 over 10 years ago
OH MY GOD IT’S ACTUALLY WATTERSONhttp://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/ever-wished-that-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-would-return-to-the-comics-page-well-he-just-did/
Darwinsgreed over 10 years ago
Thank you for this, Pearls is my current favorite, but Calvin and Hobbes is a cultural phenomenon. Having Bill Watterson himself as your guest artist on this strip is quite possibly the coolest thing to happen to comic strips in the last 20 years.
HIHIHIHIHIHI over 10 years ago
WATTERSON DREW THIS!! LOOK! http://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/ever-wished-that-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-would-return-to-the-comics-page-well-he-just-did/
trevorpmp over 10 years ago
More Bill Watterson genius here. Now I REALLY miss Calvin more that ever.
A sure sign that Bill W. was and still is a legend!
Thanks!
prunellabooks over 10 years ago
Finely drawn and quartered. Watterson’s tour de farce…;0)
chucklej over 10 years ago
This comic was drawn by Bill Watterson. Yes Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson. Sooo cool.http://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/ever-wished-that-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-would-return-to-the-comics-page-well-he-just-did/
Andrew2J4 over 10 years ago
Bill Watterson lives on!
dsaperstein over 10 years ago
This is so awesome! How about the tail on Rat!
tboneharlan over 10 years ago
Ha ha, anyone Notice “Rats” tail in box 2?? Awesome!!!
jvrprr over 10 years ago
Can´t believe my eyes! Bill Watterson!! What a great collaboration! Congratulations Stephan!
lukaluka over 10 years ago
Calvin before Perals
pam Miner over 10 years ago
I love it! Rat is so cute. He is too cute to be the nasty fellow that he is.
awgiedawgie Premium Member about 10 years ago
OK, that was supposed to actually show the C&H strip from Sept 16, 2009 (originally from Aug 3, 1988). Maybe someone can tell me how to correctly insert an image into a comment?
Xalder about 10 years ago
I like the joke about needing more space.
brendanberney over 9 years ago
It was drawn by Bill Watterson
Rutabagas about 9 years ago
Bill Watterson was, is, and will always be great.